A typical satellite employs four arcjet thrusters. Each arcjet thruster requires a power supply; and a typical power supply for an arcjet thruster employs a pulse width modulated (PWM) converter operating in a current-controlled mode. Disadvantageously, operation of such converters involves hard, i.e., lossy, switching, such that operating frequencies are relatively low (e.g., 20 kHz); hence, relatively large and heavy magnetic and capacitive components are needed. Moreover, with a single power supply being required for each thruster, there is no power supply redundancy so that fault tolerance is minimal.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a power supply system for arcjet thrusters in a satellite system or other spacecraft which is lightweight while providing redundancy.